Chapter 4 - Holy Vessel

Sally writes, "God considers us to be sacred, holy vessels."

This prompted me to look in the Bible to see what I could find to confirm that statement.

2 Timothy 2:21
Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.

I got to thinking - when was the last time I considered myself through God's eyes? When did I last remind myself that he sees me as holy, sacred and worthy to "hold" his wisdom, etc?

You know, I feel so much better when I read the Bible. By sacrificing my time to give to God and learn about Him I end up getting so much more in return. Reading Own Your Life reminds me to keep the communion going between my Creator and me. It also reminds me I'm not created as a sponge only to take in information or a vessel only to hold information. As His child I am made to work on His behalf.

2 Timothy 2:15
Work hard so God can approve you. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.

Summing up my thoughts on the 4 chapters thus far:

I am responsible to God. I work for him and will account to him. Only I can serve the purpose to which he has created for me to provide. I must make the effort to ask and listen for guidance from him. I trust he knows what he is doing in my life - even during the trials and valleys in our lives.

I came across this quote last night reading in bed and knew I had to post it on this blog:

All that happens to us, including our humiliations, our misfortunes, our embarrassments, all is given to us as raw material, as clay, so that we may shape our art.
         - Jorge Jouis Borges

I am the owner of my humiliations, misfortunes, embarrassments, etc., and out of those God will show me how to create the art for which I was designed to construct.
 

Chapter 5 - God as My Life Coach

I had never thought of it that way before, but oh my there is truth in it!  God is my life coach.  My strategic planner.  I wonder if I can go as far as to say he's my board of directors, in a way?  He has coached me through good times and bad and has spoken through others when I've needed them most.  He's presented opportunities I never expected and shoved me into them when my natural tendency was to second guess and run away.

Here are some quotes I really liked from this chapter:

 

"He crafted us to live fully as creative beings, agents of his own capacity; to rule, subdue, and express our own imprint on the world, filled with the life and scope of His Spirit, who lives within us."

 

 

"...And so man became his own source of knowledge, purpose, and morality.  In short, with the absence of God inside him, man was left to his own limited and corrupt perspective on how to live.  Man has been living for himself and by his own faculty wisdom since the separation between God and man."

 

 

"...He wants us to accept His training, even when it seems difficult.  He knows that ultimately His discipline will yield the peaceful fruit of righteousness in our lives."

 

 

"...but in the end, His goal is to ensure we have the character of Christ and can live into our original inheritance of reflecting His very image to the world."

 

 

"When we accepted God's offer of salvation, the Holy Spirit came into our lives.  He was given to us so we might have His wisdom, develop godly character, and experience the productive lives we were made for.  Once we understand our history and our part in God's story, we begin to understand how we can take back ground lost at the Fall."

 

 

"To have the peace and blessing of God, we must intentionally identify and move away from the sources of chaos.  Only then can we begin living consciously into God's design for our lives."

Chapter 4 a.k.a Just Do It!

Whatever inspiration Chapter 3 may have lacked, Chapter 4 made up for it tenfold.  I don't know about y'all but it spoke more volumes than the encyclopedia Britannica.  I found myself nodding in agreement as I read it and may have even said, "yep" and "mm hmm" out loud a few times.  It was that compelling.

Sally (the author, I feel like we can be on a first name basis now) talks about listening to God's plan for us and acting on it no matter how small or how grandiose it may seem.  She encourages us to live a Christ-like life in our everyday efforts and to realize those efforts shape a Christ-like bigger picture.

The one phrase (although there were many others) that touched me most was this:

"It is natural to quarrel, to be selfish, to live a small-minded life.  It is supernatural to love unconditionally, to serve others, to live a life of vision and faith."

Hallelujah and Amen.  This reminds me of a blog post I read and sent to you ladies awhile back.  It was from the blog, Life in Grace, and it basically encouraged everyone to live out God's will in typical, everyday ways.  Of course, Os Guiness said it much much better than I just did:

"Grand Christian movements will rise and fall. Grand campaigns will be mounted and grand coalitions assembled. But all together such coordinated efforts will never match the influence of untold numbers of followers of Christ living out their callings faithfully across the vastness and complexity of modern society." ~Os Guiness

 

 

How fantastic is that?! 

 

To know that we CAN make a difference in the world by following his calling and recognizing the spiritual potential of simply connecting with a neighbor, reaching out to a friend/stranger in need, sending an encouraging text to someone, praying over our food, hosting a sleepover for our kids friends or simply showing more affection/attention to our spouse.  What may seem mundane can actually be quite monumental in terms of living out God's will.

 

"He has placed you in various stations in life and called you to serve your neighbor, since all of YOUR needs have already been met in Him. He has gifted you in certain ways, so that you may serve your neighbor and meet his needs. And the beautiful kicker is this—God hides Himself in your vocation, so that all the service you render to your neighbor, is sacred, because it is, in reality, GOD at work through you, meeting the needs of the neighbor."

 

 

Glory be.